I don't normally get into discussions about the relative merits of US Presidents, partly because I'm one of them Damn Forners, but mainly becuase every US President has turned into Just Another US President. From a foreign perspective, President Obama is not very different from President Bush, and Bush was not much different from President Clinton.
Has Romney changed his stance since 2007? Is he still willing to put seriously ill people in gaol? Is he any different from all the other candidates - Democrats included - or is he just the one unlucky to get caught on video?
What is it about medical marijuana that so freaks out the lawmakers and conservatives?
Here in Aus we have licenced opium growers. No one freaks out about it.
I'm very saddened by this.
That video is 4 years old. Has he changed at all? And are *all* the candidates taking this position? If they are, then it's unfair to target Romney.
As I said to KW above, we have licenced opium growers here. No one freaks out about it. Hemp growers are having a bit of a hard time from the Police, but they don't face 25 years in gaol. Medical maujuana is a misdemeanor, non-criminal recording *if* there is a conviction. There are no votes won by supporting total prohibition.
Edited at 2012-01-16 12:35 am (UTC)
Such is the state of the Republican Party in America.
I don't know enough about the candidates, but Ron Paul seems to talk the most sense here. (Of course, he could be a total nut job on all other policies)
He's also 79 years old, which IMO should be enough to disqualify him right there. Being POTUS is one of the most stressful jobs in the world... and do we really want another Reagan, with attendant early-stage Alzheimer's?
I used to think he was basically a good man until I read story about how he strapped his dog to the roof of his car and then drove for 13 hours nearly nonstop. When one of Romney's sons saw dog poop oozing down the back window, Mitt Romney stopped the car, hosed off the dog and car, and then kept on driving. What kind of heartless person would do that to a dog? There are humane ways to drive for several hours with a dog which don't require strapping one to the roof a car.
Was it kind? Probably not the best option. Was it cruel? I don't think he had any intention of tormenting the dog. A single judgment of this nature is by no means sufficient evidence to look into the man's heart and tell me he's not a fit father, a fit human being or a potentially fit president. My experience is that people are using this to make far too much political hay. My two penn'orth - and I'd feel the same way if the story had been about Obama.
How many more stories and video clips of Mitt acting heartless will it take for people to ask why Mitt doesn't give a shit about people. At least not real people - he seems to go out of his way to avoid hurting the feelings of those fake people - the corporations.
The staff were always incredibly supportive and understanding.
I now live in a country where opium cultivation is still widespread. While it is illegal and can incur the death penalty for trafficking it is also a traditional medicine in remote areas where medical services are virtually non-existent. In these areas it is smoked mostly by the elderly who grow it in small quantities for personal use as a palliative against the agues of old age.
The govt appears to have a flexible and enlightened policy when it comes to this traditional use.
Edited at 2012-01-16 05:51 am (UTC)
Also, please remember that no matter what a president-to-be might promise, he's not the one who writes the laws. That's Congress, which is pretty much universally loathed. The President just happens to be a handier scapegoat for the press.
Edited at 2012-01-16 01:38 pm (UTC)